Origins of the Dragon
by Esca Madeline
Summary: Sequel to Rebirth of the Dragon. One cannot know peace without knowing war. Sachiko, Kargo, and Jiro must learn how to continue carrying on the Z Fighters' Legacy, while facing the consequences of protecting what should never have existed.  CH. 2 REDONE!
1. Sixteen Candles

Piccolo the Seventh: (in a bored, monotone voice) Esca Madeline does not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball GT.

Reiketsu: You call that an introduction? For the love of god Piccolo, put some spirit in it! This is the starting chapter of the revised and redone sequel to _Rebirth of the Dragon_!

Piccolo: So? The only reason our author came back and redid the whole story was because she just _happened_ to catch an episode of Dragon Ball Kai with her little cousins!

Reiketsu: Hmph. You're no fun at all. (to the audience) Ladies and gents, our author is back! With a new writing style, a new set of ideas, and a new penname—

Piccolo: Which I don't really like. TURMOIL wasn't _that _bad a penname.

Reiketsu: That's enough out of you, Man-who-is-from-Namek-and-acts-NOTHING-like-his-more-interesting-son. Any-hoo-how, EM's once again picked up her Dragon Ball related muse, and while she can't guarantee frequent updates as she now has a full time job, she just wants to settle back into her writing because…well, it's so gosh darn relaxing, wouldn't you agree, Taka-chan?

Taka: Don't you call me that, you unfaithful cur. Only my old man and Piccolo-sama have the right to use that term of endearment.

Piccolo: (flushes) What? Taka? What are you doing here?

Taka: Hmm? Didn't you know? EM asked me to be the third hostess for the new "Start-Ups" and "Wind-Downs" to replace the kids. It's not really my cup of tea, but thankfully that blonde cybernetic child-stealing bitch isn't here, and I had nothing better to do anyway…

Piccolo: What do you mean, you have nothing to do? You're a COP!

Taka: Piccolo-sama, I'm a high-ranking Captain who's up for promotion as Chief. That means I usually push paper all day. It's very, _very_ boring. (To Reiketsu) Didn't expect _you_ to be here, though. Bleh.

Reiketsu: (pouts) Now, Taka-chan, don't be so mean! Don't you know how much I missed you? Come on, let's kiss and make up.

Taka: No.

Reiketsu: ...

Piccolo: Ha! Good girl, Taka! I told you so many times that he wasn't good enough for you, remember?

Reiketsu: (growls) Be quiet, you old pickle. Moving on, this is the first chapter of EM's new story, _Origins of the Dragon_. Now please note that this story is a SEQUEL to the other story, _Rebirth of the Dragon_. You really should read _Rebirth_ first, or else this story won't make any sense.

Piccolo: (raises a brow) Isn't it logical to read _Rebirth _before _Origins_?

Reiketsu: Well, you never know! People tend to disregard warnings no matter how many times the authors warn them! Readers are so silly sometimes, just like a certain cucumber of a moron I know who let a truly fine specimen of a woman slip through his fingers…

Piccolo: (eye twitching) Can we please just start the chapter?

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

_**Chapter One: Sixteen Candles**_

It was still a schizophrenic world, a world of ancient beliefs versus modern commercialism.

Even six years after the miko of Amaterasu, Sachiko Muzai, had journeyed to the cities, the rift between the feudal villagers and the city dwellers had not lessened. Although a few people from the city had moved to the villages (which had contributed to the sudden new appearance of babies and toddlers in the area, a contribution that had pleased Goushi Muzai greatly while sending Sachiko into peals of delight), either the newcomers would soon get fed up with the strict lifestyle and leave, or they convert so wholeheartedly to the feudal traditions that they would become even more radical than the villagers who had grown there, up to the point where they wouldn't even greet any of their friends from the city if they arrived.

To the small children of the Amaterasu forest shrine, all born and raised in the villages while never once having set foot in the outside world, it was a strange sight indeed to see traditional Japanese kimonos alongside modern suits and hats. It alarmed them, partially because they had been told only terrible things about the city dwellers and partially because they could not understand the concept of something new and foreign to them.

Dressed in their traditional garb, two tiny toddlers huddled around Goushi Muzai, their large, round eyes staring accusingly at the foreigners in their world.

"Goushi-sama, I'm scared!" the little boy cried, hugging the elderly priest's leg as hard as he could while the visitors tried to find their way out of the forest. "I don't like the city people! I don't trust them!"

"Why are they here?" a little girl asked, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates from fright. "Are they gonna burn down our forest, just like they did to the villages that grew the rice fields for goddess Inari?"

"Calm down, children," Goushi said quietly. Despite the fact that he was now over sixty-years-old, Goushi Muzai was still strong and intimidating for a man his age, and the city visitors felt this as they did their best to try to avoid the clearly distrustful priest of Amaterasu. "You need not be afraid of people like _them_. They are just lost souls without direction."

"Can you make them go away?" the little boy complained. "I don't want them here!"

"Now child, we can't just toss them aside. We have to be courteous to all living beings…even if some are nothing more thanmisguided hooligans…"

"But they don't follow the ways of Amaterasu, right Goushi-sama?" the little girl piped up, sticking her little pink tongue out at the retreating back of the city dwellers as they left. "They're nonbelievers…right?"

Goushi nodded. "Yes, child. For centuries this village and all those like it was _sakoku_, closed to foreigners. And then—" here, Goushi's lips curved into a smirk "—miko Muzai ventured out into the cities, in order to see just how polluted their lifestyles were. And she turned the whole world of the city dwellers upside down in an instant, six years ago. She showed how those who followed the words of the gods were superior, and that was it! The governments were shaken. Men and women were crying in the streets. Even the mighty technology wizards couldn't figure out how to fight back…"

"Hooray for miko Muzai!" the toddlers cheered.

"But they're still very clever, these city people," Goushi remarked with a sigh. "They come from around the world to learn how to erase us from the face of the earth. They couldn't do it with violence, as they foolishly tried to do several years ago…"

"Those meanies!" the little boy exclaimed, scrunching his face up in disgust. "They deserve to face the wrath of the goddess of death!"

"Yes, yes. For us and those who live within the laws of the Grand Divinities, we have all had the misfortune of being born in a world where no one ever says what they mean, where its people try to destroy everything that they do not understand . All we can do is try to see through the deceptions of the city folk, while putting all of our trust and love in Lady Amaterasu."

"Of course, Goushi-sama!"

"You're so wise, Goushi-sama!"

The priest smiled and patted the children on the head, before he looked up worriedly. "By the way, children…have either of you seen miko Muzai? I haven't seen her since the morning peace prayers."

"She said that she went to see her Okaasan!" the little girl chirped cheerfully. "She said that she would be back by nightfall, before the celebrations begin!"

"Hmph!" the elderly priest crossed his arms and shook his head. "She'd better. We can't have the birthday celebration without the birthday girl, can we…?"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Ryoushi, clad in a dark business suit and his usual black shades, came into the large office with a scowl on his face and a bowl of boiled eggs in his hands. "Here you go, your _majesty_," the former bounty hunter grumbled as he tossed the bowl onto his employer's desk. "Enjoy."

"Hmm." Pushing a strand of long blonde hair aside, Kikai peered at the eggs with narrowed blue eyes, her lips thinning as she quietly asked, "What…is…_this_?"

"It's the snack you wanted so much. You said you wanted something digestible, right?"

"I said get me coffee, you fool!" Kikai snapped, grabbing an egg and tossing it straight at Ryoushi's head (which he thankfully managed to duck). "Since when does asking for coffee relate to getting boiled eggs? Krillin was never this incompetent, not even on his worst days!"

"I'm surprised that he wasn't, seeing as he had to live with _you_ as his wife," Ryoushi mumbled dryly, a comment that earned him another egg to the forehead. "Ow! Watch it! Look Eighteen, I know you're hardwired to be on Bitch Mode twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, but you really shouldn't take it out on your innocent employees…you'll get wrinkles on that pretty face of yours."

Kikai said nothing. Instead, her hand slowly inched towards the very sharp, very pointy looking object that was located at the edge of her desk.

"Ryoushi-san," a new voice chirped curiously, "why are you calling Kikai-san a female dog? She's not a female dog in any way, shape, or form…she's a bee-oo-tee-full human being!"

And just like that, Kikai's anger suddenly lessened.

"Bah!" Ryoushi snorted in the direction of the sixteen-year-old girl sitting on top of Kikai's desk, the girl who was currently dangling her feet over the side in a childish manner. "What do you know, Sachiko? You've got the moral compass of a cherub. Why are you even here, anyway? Shouldn't you be visiting that cop mother of yours?"

"He's got a point, little one," Kikai agreed, throwing a curious glance at the young girl. "Normally when one claims to go and visit her mother, she's actually supposed to go and visit her mother _before_ coming over to a friend's workplace. Not that I don't tolerate your presence, but still…"

Sachiko didn't answer right away, opting instead to play with a lock of her now short, boyish-looking dark blue hair. "My Okaasan had to cancel our lunch meeting because of her new case," she explained, attempting to mask the disappointment in her voice. "She's been working really hard, you know? I think she might be trying to get a Chief position, or something…I guess that's good, right?" She then peeked up shyly at Kikai. "I just wanted to come and see you, that's all. I missed you too, you know."

"…" Kikai said nothing. For some reason, she now had the strangest urge to drag Sachiko out and buy her some new clothes. _A new dress, some new jeans, anything_ _would be an improvement over that hideous rust-red long-sleeved shirt and beige shorts…_

"Um, you know that you and Ryoushi-san are invited to the festivities tonight, right Kikai-san?" Sachiko asked, flashing a hopeful smile towards the two. "I begged Grandfather for weeks, and he finally allowed me to let you guys come as long as you wear the traditional kimonos!"

"Thank the gods that you have hundreds of kimonos in that oversized closet of yours, right Eighteen?" Ryoushi whispered playfully, wrapping an arm slyly around the cybernetic woman's shoulder.

Kikai's immediate response was to swat him over the head with a thick magazine from a pile near the corner of her desk.

"OW! ABUSE! I call abuse on Eighteen! Sachiko, are you taking note of this? I'll need your testimony to take to court!"

Kikai rolled her eyes. "Idiot," she muttered, tossing the magazine to the side as she ignored Ryoushi's shouts of employee abuse. Turning to Sachiko with a considerably softer gaze, the blonde woman said in a lower tone, "A little rearrangement of our schedule was required, but I think I'll be able to make it by seven tonight. Is that all right?"

"It's perfect!" Sachiko exclaimed, laughing and jumping off of Kikai's desk in order to give the blonde woman a hug. "That's when we start the dancing and festivities! I'm supposed to do the Swords Dance. I've been practicing, and I think you'll really like how I handle Grandfather's katanas! Although Grandfather told me not to dance anywhere near him while I'm holding weapons …I wonder why? It's not like I'll cut anything…"

"Enough with the hugs and chit-chat, Sachiko," Kikai muttered, although she was only half trying to push the young girl away. "Honestly, you're suffocating me…"

"She doesn't mean it," Ryoushi whispered to Sachiko in a very audible voice. "She's actually worried about you day and night…"

"All right, get out!" Kikai snapped, glaring at Ryoushi so icily that any other man would have ran out of the room in terror. Getting up from behind her desk, she stomped over to Ryoushi and began to shove the former bounty hunter towards the door. "Get out of my office, you incompetent fool! Get out and be useless to someone else before I plant this stiletto heel in your behind!"

"But Eighteeeeeeeeen!" Ryoushi whined. "I'm bored and I wanna taaaaaaaaalk—"

_Slam!_

Kikai slammed the door in Ryoushi's face, running a hand through her hair in frustration as Sachiko stood attentively in the background. "Kikai-san," the young girl piped up, averting her eyes to the floor as she tried to hide the grin that was forming on her lips. "I guess Ryoushi-san's teasing is getting worse. He's not a very good—" Sachiko paused for a moment as she tried to form the word correctly in her mind "—_secretary_, is he?"

"Ugh." Kikai made a face in disgust and shook her head. "You're putting it lightly. He's the worst secretary I've ever had. I must have been drunk when I agreed to hire him…"

"He doesn't mean any harm, though," Sachiko commented, giggling as Kikai tossed the bowl of boiled eggs into the trash. "He means well."

"_You _mean well. Even that idiot Namekian boyfriend of yours means well. But unlike this joke of a bounty hunter, you two actually manage to get things done the way I wanted them to get done." The blonde woman scowled and plopped down behind her desk again, massaging her temples in frustration as her eyes squeezed shut. "This is infuriating at times…"

"Don't get upset," Sachiko pleaded, pulling out the one boiled egg she had managed to save from Kikai's wrath and peeling it quickly. Placing the now peeled egg in the older woman's hand, the young girl gave Kikai her sweetest smile. "Kikai-san, cheer up! Think of the fun we'll have tonight! And besides, I want you to look your best when Grandfather makes me the head priestess of the shrine!"

"Ah, yes…" The blonde looked up at the young girl questioningly. "I remember now. The old kook is giving you the top spot tonight, huh…"

"Yup! And you'll be right by my side! You and Kargo-kun and Jiro and Hideaki-chan! HOORAY!" Sachiko pumped her fist in the air excitedly, and Kikai found the corners of her lip twitching upwards despite all of her efforts not to smile.

"What about that _mother _of yours?" Kikai asked coyly, trying to sound disinterested as she took a bite out of the peeled egg. "Shouldn't she be there too?"

Sachiko's smile suddenly faded.

"I noticed that you didn't place her in your extended list of those you want by your side. Just an observation, but…"

Sachiko cast her gaze downwards, and she began to play with a lock of her hair again.

"Sachiko…"

"She said she was busy," the young girl replied, her voice oddly cheerful despite the fact that her entire body suddenly looked tense. "Like I said, Okaasan's been working really hard lately. She has a really bad case right now, and she has to testify in court. She said that she can't come home for a while since the trial might take days…"

"I see." Kikai scowled. Her liking of Taka Muzai had just dropped by thirty percent.

"But it's okay!" Sachiko chirped happily, grinning brightly at the older woman. "You're coming, so it doesn't matter! I know how busy Okaasan is, but to know that you and Kargo-kun and Jiro are going to be there…it makes me happy anyway! You—you _are _coming, right?" Sachiko gave Kikai a nervous smile, which the blonde replied with a disinterested wave of the hand.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. I said that already, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah! Teehee!" The young girl gave Kikai another hug, much to the dismay of the older woman. "You're the best, Kikai-san! I'll see you tonight!" With that, Sachiko released Kikai and skipped towards the center of the office, waving at the blonde in farewell before placing two fingers on her forehead and suddenly disappearing.

"…"

Kikai sighed, before she slipped the last bit of boiled egg into her mouth. The things she did for the new generation was astonishing, even on her standards. If she wasn't receiving good karma for all of the things she did, she was seriously going to kick Lord Emma's ass when she finally passed on.

If she ever _did_ pass on, of course.

Glancing at a dusty old picture of herself, a short man with dark hair, and a little blonde girl, Kikai shook her head…before letting a soft smile spread across her face.

"I'll see you tonight…little one…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

Mr. Popo, now more elderly and wrinkled and senile than ever before, oversaw his young charge's intense training with a look of apprehension on his face.

"Dende, maybe you should stop," he said nervously as he approached the eighteen-year-old Namek, who was dressed in an odd combination sleeveless white hoodie and a light brown gi. "You've been practicing for hours now…"

Kargo's eye twitched, partially from the black dijinn's inability to remember his name, and partially because his body was on the verge of collapsing from the five hours of torturous exercises. "Mr. Popo," he growled through gritted teeth, "we've been through this. About eight thousand times, I might add. My name is _Kargo_, not Dende!"

"There you go again, pretending to be someone else in one of your wild delusions, ohohohoho…"

"Just go away, damn it!" Kargo snapped. Turning away from Mr. Popo's saddened gaze, he squeezed his eyes shut as he tried his hardest to meditate and focus his ki._ Okay. Sachiko said I should try to be calm. Calm and collected and not distracted in any way, shape, or form._

"Oh Dende," He heard Mr. Popo murmur sadly. "How it pains me to see you this way…"

The Namekian took another deep breath and exhaled slowly, hoping that it didn't sound too much like a sigh. He opened his eyelids slightly to peek at Mr. Popo, and felt his heart drop slightly when he saw the elderly dijinn's shoulders sag from depression.

_Goddamn it._

Obviously Mr. Popo was getting much more sensitive in his old age. Kargo bit his lip—in hindsight, it wasn't as if Mr. Popo had been a _constant _thorn in his side, for he did try to help Kargo with his mediation. But in his defense, could anyone really blame him for getting mad at the shriveled old being? It wasn't exactly spirit-lifting to see Mr. Popo sit like a statue, completely immersed in his own successful meditation while Kargo, on the other hand, was sweating profusely, his knees crying out in protest as he kept wondering over and over why he couldn't focus enough to master Tsu's stupid lightning techniques.

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.

Too bad that Tsu was dead. Kargo grumbled in frustration; he should have asked the crazy old kook to demonstrate how he was able to perform lightning generation and manipulation. It was near impossible to master the technique by simply remembering the old master's movements, and although lightning was indeed Kargo's most hated element, he got a perverse pleasure from mastering the one thing that he feared above all else.

Not that he would get anywhere until he actually learned and perfected the stupid moves. Damn it, weren't there training wheels for this sort of thing?

_There oughta be_, Kargo thought sourly. He was seriously starting to consider ditching the meditation route, though. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be getting out of this anymore. He knew that meditation was essential when making the dragon balls (although he had found the whole ordeal to be a complete pain in the ass and had no desire to go through that again). He also knew that it helped his father to focus his energies and suppress his emotions, but Kargo didn't _want_ to suppress his emotions. He wanted the improved focus, but he didn't want to become unfeeling, cold, and stuck up like his old man.

Maybe he should just go back to sparring with Sachiko. The young girl had stumbled upon her Super Saiyajin transformation completely by chance, so who's to say he couldn't figure out Tsu's techniques by chance either? Besides, their training sessions weren't only beneficial for him. Sachiko obviously got something out of it too, for she always hung out and sparred with him every chance she got. At any rate, he would never, _ever _complain about spending too much time with her_._

_Sachiko…_

Kargo smiled at the thought of his dearest friend. Even though she had not-so-subtly hinted to him for weeks about her birthday, he still couldn't believe she was actually turning sixteen. It seemed like only yesterday that she had given him the hand-painted water canteen, now one of his most treasured possessions. It seemed like only yesterday that she had been a skinny, tiny girl of ten, a girl who seemed even tinier than she was due to the oversized shirt and shorts she always wore.

…okay, so she _still _seemed small for her age, and she wasn't exactly endowed like Hideaki or Taka or even Kikai. Hell, she still wore oversized shirts and shorts, and the fact that she had cut her hair made her seem more like a young, pretty _boy_ than a girl. But Kargo still thought she was adorable, with the way she would pout when she didn't get her way, the way her skin seemed to glow after a particularly satisfying sparring session, the way her small breasts rose and fell as she breathed deeply—

_Get a grip, Namek!_ he chided himself. _You're supposed to be getting ready to celebrate your friend's birthday, not to get your groove on!_ Kargo shut his eyes tightly, taking another deep breath. But he couldn't refrain his thoughts from straying one more time. _So…she's really turning sixteen. I wonder…I wonder if I should give it to her **now**…_

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!"

The loud, sudden scream snapped the Namek out of his thoughts. He quickly turned his attention to the source of the noise…only to pale when he saw Sachiko seemingly appearing out of nowhere, her position a good twenty feet away from the edge of the Lookout. The young girl flailed in midair for a moment, completely taken aback by where she had teleported herself, before she quickly focused her ki and flew to the edge of the Lookout, landing flat on her bottom as a look of sheer disbelief spread across her face.

"Sachi-chan!" Grinning, Kargo ran over to her side and helped her up. "I see you've been trying out Instant Transmission again…"

"Oh, I still haven't got it!" Sachiko moaned, kicking the ground in disappointment. "I still haven't been able to teleport myself to the exact place I want! Poopsickles!" She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed indignantly, pouting as Kargo laughed and gave her a hard hug from behind.

"You'll get it, Sachi-chan," the Namek said reassuringly, resting his chin on the top of her head. "You just need more practice, that's all. How's Eighteen, by the way?"

"Kikai-san is fine! She and Ryoushi-san are coming later…but that's not the point right now! I keep teleporting off target, Kargo-kun!" Sachiko let out a shriek of vexation, before she sighed and looked up at the Namek with a grin. "Oh well. At least _you_ mastered Instant Transmission, right? And Jiro's learning it too."

"Yeah, but you're way better than _him_."

"Kargo, don't be so mean. He's our friend."

"Hmph." Kargo lips twisted bitterly at the thought of the arrogant Capsule Corps heir. Over the years, their so-called friendship had not developed at all, and most of the time Kargo found himself wanting to rip out Jiro's throat instead of making friends with him. "To be honest, Sachi…that punk's more interested in you, not me."

"Yeah…I've noticed." Sachiko bit her lip as she played with a lock of her hair. "It's so strange, really. I don't know why you two don't get along more. I want you both to become better friends, but…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Several hours earlier…**

"_So, did you and the freak collect all of the dragon balls yet, __**Sachiko**__?"_

_Sachiko winced at the harsh tone in Jiro's voice, but she forced herself to remain calm as she and Jiro sparred lightly in his new gravity chamber. "No, we didn't find them all, Jiro. We're still looking for Goku-san's dragon ball. You know…the Four Star ball." _

"_Uh-huh. Sure." The shirtless twenty-year-old powered up, straining his tall, muscular body even though he had already been training under gravity that was one hundred times as powerful as Earth's for more than five hours. Glaring at Sachiko, he formed a bright blue ball of ki in his hands. "Of course I believe you, Sachiko. After all, it's not like you and the freak ever screwed me over in regards to the dragon balls before—oh wait! YOU DID!"_

_With that, he threw ki blast after ki blast at the young girl, who yelped as she quickly twisted her body in all directions to avoid the attacks. However, in the last second, she quickly caught one of the blue blasts and, __in the same fluid movement, she turned the blue ki white before hurling the energy right back at his face._

"_SHIT!" Jiro dodge the blast just as it sailed over his head. Scowling, he turned and was about to hurl himself into another attack…when he suddenly found Sachiko standing right in front of him, her pouting face only inches away from his. _

"_Jiro, this is getting ridiculous," she said in a low, sad voice, unaware of the heightened degree of tension that her close proximity with the older boy had invoked. "Can't you let it go, already? I don't like fighting with you about this. I mean, even Hideaki's not mad anymore! She even told me what her wish would have been…" _

_"Let me guess," Jiro said sarcastically. "She wanted to ask the dragon to give that rat-bastard Katsu buns of steel, right?"_

_"Yeah! Hey, how'd you know?"_

_"…"_

_"Anyway," Sachiko went on, "my point is that Hideaki's gotten over it. __What wish could you possibly have wanted to make you hate me and Kargo-kun so much?"_

"_Hmph._" _Backing away a good three feet, __Jiro turned his reddened gaze away and frowned. "The wish I wanted back then is completely different from the wish I want now."_

"_Really?" The young girl gave him a look of interest. "What is it, Jiro? If it's not a selfish wish, then maybe I can convince Kargo-kun to let you call on Insumo!"_

"…"

"…_Jiro?"_

"…"

"_Jiro!"_

_The Capsule Corps heir growled and gave Sachiko a hateful glare. "First off," he hissed angrily, "the freak would __**never **__allow me to make the wish I want. Second off…it's none of your goddamn business! So stay out of it!"_

_Sachiko stared at Jiro, her golden eyes wide and shocked. "B-but Jiro…"_

"_You know what? Just forget it! Leave me alone! Go home!"_

"_But—"_

"_GO HOME! GO HOME, GO HOME, GO HOME, __**GO HOME!**__"_

_Sachiko lowered her gaze, and nodded. "Okay, Jiro. I'll go. But…" She looked up, and gave the older boy a shaky smile. "You'll still come to my birthday party tonight, won't you? It won't feel right without you there."_

"…"

"_Okay then. I'll see you tonight." With that, Sachiko turned and left the gravity chamber, leaving Jiro alone._

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

"I still don't see why you had to invite the asshole," Kargo grumbled, his grip tightening on Sachiko as she finally relaxed and leaned back into his embrace. "He hates coming here anyway. He's not gonna have fun tonight."

"I guess not," Sachiko admitted, "but I still want him with me when I do my dance, and when Grandfather announces me as the head priestess of the shrine! He has to at least be happy for me when it comes to that, right?"

"Err, right…" At this, Kargo suddenly loosened his hold and pulled away, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Um, Sachiko, about the head priestess thing…"

"Yeah?"

"Does—does Goushi-sama really expect you to—"

"Yeah." The young girl sighed and shook her head. "Grandfather wants me to pick a husband right after he announces my new position in the shrine. He said something about wanting to see his great-grandchild before dying. He even picked out someone for me, but…"

"But you're so young!" Kargo cried out, his hands clenching into fists as his sharp nails dug into his skin. "You're only sixteen, and you don't even like any of the young guys in the village anyway!" _Besides, _he thought in a panic as his mind raced to the small jewelry box he had hidden underneath his pillow, _you marrying someone else is completely againt my plans! IT GOES COMPLETELY AGAINST MY PLANS__! This isn't fair!_

"I know," Sachiko agreed. "But sixteen _is _the marrying age, and…" She trailed off, biting the bottom of her lip nervously before she looked up at Kargo with a grin. "But it doesn't matter. I already decided who I wanted to marry a long time ago."

Kargo's ears twitched, and his heart simultaneously froze. "Oh…really?"

"Uh-huh. He's someone I knew for a long time, Kargo-kun. I haven't asked him yet, but I'm hoping he'll say yes."

"Oh…really." The Namek's gaze darkened as he clenched his fists. His nails dug so deeply into his skin that tiny pinpricks of purple blood were seeping from his hands. "Who…who is he?"

"You already know who he is~!" Sachiko practically sang the last statement aloud, and she was smiling at him so sweetly that Kargo's fragile heart was on the verge of shattering inside his chest. She couldn't be talking about _Jiro_, could she? No, it couldn't be. He'd die on the spot if she had chosen Jiro or anyone else over him.

"For the love of the gods, Sachi-chan! Just tell me who it is already!"

The young girl pouted, and wrapped her arms around his neck in a semblance of a hug. "Oh, Kargo-kun! Why are you such a fudgehead? I'm talking about—"

Suddenly, the Vidwatch on Kargo's wrist began to beep. Kargo held the watch to eye level, and stared curiously as a large map projected itself in front of him, with a single red dot blinking happily on the map.

In a flash, the words "Four Star ball" appeared in front of his eyes.

"Ooooh!" Sachiko gasped as she saw where the dot was located on the map. "Kargo-kun! It's the Four Star ball! It's Goku-san's dragon ball! And it's near the forest too! What luck!"

"Yeah…luck…" Despite himself, Kargo couldn't help but frown. "It's strange, though…didn't we check the forest a while back? The dragon ball wasn't there, I remember that much."

"Maybe it washed up alongside the river banks just this second?" Sachiko suggested hopefully.

"No, I don't think so. This ball is located in the middle of the forest, away from the river."

"Maybe a bird was carrying it and then dropped it!"

"…" Kargo didn't reply. Was there a possibility of such a thing happening? Or had a wandering traveler found the ball, and then had simply lost it while trying to find his way out of the forest?

"Come on, Kargo-kun!" Sachiko insisted, tugging at her Namek friend's arm as she tried to head for the direction of the dragon ball. "Let's go! Use your Instant Transmission! I would use it myself, but you know how I keep missing the real target…"

"Oh, all right…" With a mock sigh of defeat, Kargo linked arms with a grinning Sachiko and placed two fingers on his forehead, focusing his target on the energy of the Four Star ball before quickly shifting his form (and Sachiko's) towards the location.

But a split second before he teleported, he felt _something_. He didn't have enough time to tell who or what it was, and to his astonishment the strange sensation vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. By the time he and Sachiko reappeared in the vicinity of the Four Star ball, the peculiar energy was gone.

_What the hell was that?_

"All right-ee then!" Sachiko cheered, oblivious to Kargo's tense form as she began to peek under the fallen leaves of the forest trees. "Goku-san's dragon ball has to be here somewhere, Kargo-kun! Let's dig around until—OW!" The young girl yelped and grasped at the back of her neck. "Kargo-kun! Something bit me! Sweet mother of Amaterasu, I think it's an icky bug! Ewwww, I have it in my hand!"

"What?" The Namek immediately rushed over to Sachiko and pulled the girl's hand away. His dark eyes widened when he saw a small, peculiar looking dart sticking out of her neck, and he immediately pulled it out, tossing it to the side and forcing Sachiko to stare him in the eye. "Sachi-chan! Are you okay? Do you feel strange at all?"

"Strange? No…" The young girl shook her head. "What kind of bug was that, Kargo? It felt awfully strange for a bug. Oh no!" Sachiko then gave him a look of panic. "Was it poisonous, Kargo-kun? Did it have any of the weird city diseases that Grandfather said they carried? Am I gonna die? WAH! I don't wanna die!"

"You're not gonna die," Kargo said soothingly. Suddenly, he froze. That strange energy…he felt it again…

"W-what's wrong?" Sachiko asked, rubbing the back of her neck in an attempt to get rid of the stubbornly lingering stinging sensation. "You don't look well."

"Sachi, don't you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"That ki!" Kargo looked around nervously, his teeth gritted as he pulled Sachiko closer to him. "Come on, let's get out of here. Something isn't right…"

"But we haven't gotten the dragon ball yet!" Sachiko protested.

"Forget the dragon ball! I think we're in danger—"

"_Happy birthday to you…_"

Both Kargo and Sachiko froze on the spot. The unknown voice, which belonged to that of a young male's, floated all around them as if from a dark dream.

"_Happy birthday to you…_"

Kargo looked around wildly, trying to see—or feel—where the voice was coming from. Sachiko did the same, but neither were able to sense any trace of ki, nor were they able to figure out where exactly the singing was coming from, for it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once…

"_Happy birthday, dearest daughter…_"

"Huh?" Sachiko blinked. Daughter?

"_Happy birthday to you…_"

And then, from seemingly out of nowhere, a man appeared in front of Sachiko, a smiling young man who was clad in black and had his long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail. The man laughed as Sachiko shrieked in fright and stumbled away towards Kargo, before he held out a small, orange orb towards the girl, an orb that had four red stars in its center.

The Four Star ball.

"Happy birthday, Dove!" the man greeted warmly, much to the surprise of both Sachiko and Kargo. "Happy birthday…my dearest daughter…"

~:~ ~:~ ~:~

**Reiketsu: (blows on a party favor) Alright, everyone! Welcome to the first "Wind-Down" session of **_**Origins of the Dragon**_**! **

**Piccolo: How can you be so calm? You just shamelessly introduced yourself to Sachiko and my son at the very end of the chapter, and then you stop THERE at that god-awful cliffhanger?**

**Taka: I'm inclined to agree, Rei-Rei! I wanna see what happens next!**

**Reiketsu: Oh, come now, you two! It's called "building suspense" and is the very backbone of creating a good drama!**

**Piccolo: (flatly) You mean creating a crappy soap opera.**

**Reiketsu: (pouts) You say tomato, I say Toh-mah-toe. But Taka-chan...you called me Rei-Rei! My old pet name! (squeals)**

**Taka: (blushes) WHAT? No I didn't! ****I refute you! I said no such thing!**

**Piccolo: I agree! Taka would never make up such a cutsey, girly nickname! It's just not in her!**

**Taka: HEY!**

**Reiketsu: I beg to differ, Piccolo. If you'd direct your attention to Taka's earlier statements, all of which are written just a few lines above this one, you can clearly see the words, "Rei-Rei" coming from Taka-chan's speech line**—

**Taka: Ah crap. Stupid evidence.**

**Piccolo: (angry/jealous) DAMN IT REIKETSU! YOU CAN'T BREAK THE FOURTH WALL! STOP BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL!**

**Reiketsu: (ignores Piccolo) My dearest Taka-chan, this hilarious bickering between you and I is one of the many reasons why I missed you during our time apart! Now I REALLY look forward to hosting the beginnings and endings with you. **

**Piccolo and Taka: (sarcastic) JOY.**

**Reiketsu: It's not that bad, is it? Now people can see how we interact, all the while making up those lovely fan-romance-scenarios in their heads. I mean, they've always wondered how you and I met and had our little Sachiko-chan…**

**Taka: Ah. (slowly blushes) AAAAH. I see. Well, I suppose you DO have your qualities, even if you are a bit….unstable at times.**

**Reiketsu: (smirks) You seemed to like my instability, as I recall.**

**Taka: Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I'm not telling.**

**Piccolo: WHAT? Taka, how can you even say that? Wait. (glares at Reiketsu) This is all _your _fault! You're a horrible influence on her, you insane, no good…**

**Reiketsu: Oh dear, would you look at the time? It seems the "Wind-Down" is drawing to an unfortunate close. Oh well! Please read and review, readers!**

**Piccolo: Hey! HEY! I'm not finished with you!**


	2. The Second Tragedy

Taka: Our author does not own Dragon Ball stuff, blah blah blah, she's just a really big fan of the show, blah blah blah…MY GOD! It's been sixty-three freakin' chapters! How many times do we have to repeat this anyway?

Reiketsu: Until we die. :D

Taka: …

Piccolo: …

Reiketsu: (oblivious) Hmm? What? What'd I say? Why are you two staring at me like that?

Piccolo: You—you know what? Never mind. Every word that comes out of your mouth just confirms to me our author was stoned out of her mind when she created you.

EM: (from behind the shadows) HEY!

Reiketsu: Now, now, Piccolo-the Seventh. That's not a nice thing to say. Besides, I think you're just jealous of my Magnificent Bastard-ness. All women love the undeniably sexy and handsome evil guy who actually takes the time to do his own dirty work…am I right, Taka-chan?

Taka: (blushes but tries to look disinterested) Stuff it, man-whore.

Reiketsu: That's a title I happen to be proud of, my sweet.

Piccolo: STOP FLIRTING WITH TAKA, YOU PUNK! …I mean, knock it off, you two. The "Start-Up" session is no time to bring about the flirtatious come-ons.

Reiketsu: What? The kids did it all the time!

Taka: But they're innocent and naïve fluffheads, Rei-Rei. We're adults. We have to be more responsible and show a good example to the children and the good readers out there.

Piccolo: (grins) Good to see that you've grown up a bit, Taka. I'm proud of you.

Reiketsu: (pouts) …Taka, you've gotten so boring.

Taka: Oh, and by the way…OOPS! (knocks over a huge vat of chocolate pudding over Piccolo and Reiketsu)

Piccolo: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGH! NOT CHOCOLATE! TAKA-CHAN, YOU RUINED MY CLOTHES! NOTHING GETS CHOCOLATE OUT! _**NOTHING!**_

Reiketsu: …ew.

Taka: (grins evilly) Oh _dear_. It seems I've "accidentally" spilled some pudding all over your gorgeous bodies. Seeing as there are no showers in the studio, it looks like you guys will have to undress and lick it off.

Piccolo: (horrified) TAKA! Where—what—how could you even think I'd—

Rei: YAY! Strip n' lickin' time! :D

_**Chapter Two: The Second Tragedy**_

The man stuck his hands out at Sachiko, still holding the Four Star ball to her dumbstruck face. "This is for you, my dear," he said cordially, a secret smile gracing his. "A lovely gem for a lovely little warrior. Will you accept this gift from your dear pappy, Dove?"

"Um…" Sachiko blinked in confusion, before turning to the equally stunned and confused Kargo. "Kargo-kun, why is that strange man calling me his daughter? I don't have a Tousan, so why would he call me that?"

"I…I don't know…" Pulling the young girl behind him protectively, the Namek boy bit his lip as he stared at the strange man before him.

Father? _Father? _Since when did Sachiko have a father? He personally knew everything about her, and he _knew _that she didn't have a father—neither the young girl nor her family had any knowledge of the man's name, his whereabouts, or if he was even alive. Taka Muzai possessed no pictures of him and Sachiko never asked any questions about her sire in the first place because, point blank, she never thought about him at all.

So why was this strange person—whom Kargo was almost positive he had never seen before in his entire life—calling Sachiko his _daughter_?

But while the Namek boy was distraught by the sudden, unexpected event, Sachiko merely gave the man an innocent smile. "You must be mistaking me for someone else, Mister Stranger. I'm not your daughter! But…" The young girl tapped a finger against her chin in thought. "If you want, I can help you find your little girl! If she's around, she might show up at the festival tonight!"

"A festival, you say?" The man tilted his head to the side in interest. "That _does _sound interesting, child…"

"Well, it's my birthday, after all!" Sachiko exclaimed, clasping her hands together in excitement. "The festival _has_ to be interesting, or else people will get bored and leave! It wouldn't do to have a boring birthday party, right?"

"Of course not, my dear. And I assume that you will become head priestess of your shrine tonight?" The man gave her a searching look. "You are sixteen now, correct?"

"Yeah!" Sachiko stared at the man as child-like wonder spread across her features. "How did you know that?"

"Yeah," Kargo agreed, crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the stranger. "How _did _you know that? I've never seen you in the village before, and I'm certain we've never met…" He trailed off, a scowl pushing past the corners of his lips as he gave the man an up-and-down stare. It was odd…upon closer inspection, the man _did _look somewhat familiar…

And then he realized that the man smiling cheerfully at him, a smile that was ominously familiar as the man formed a ball of blue ki in his hand.

"You say that we've never met?" the man murmured softly, his voice as soft and reassuring as ever. His fingers twitched, and to Kargo's shock, the ki began to twist and stretch into grotesque forms, growing and shaping itself until a long, sharpened blade of pure energy rested in his hands. "How odd," the man went on, although he seemed to be addressing himself instead of the increasingly horrified Namek. "I certainly remember meeting _you _before…"

"W-who are you?" Kargo stammered, feeling Sachiko tense behind him as her ki levels slowly rose in reaction to the man's strange new technique. "How the hell do you know me and Sachiko?"

The man chuckled deeply in response, and three images immediately flashed through the Namek's mind, images of a well-dressed, elderly man whose face had been covered by a head scarf, a mousey middle-aged woman who had worn thick glasses, and a young boy with shaggy black hair that covered his eyes…

_What…what the hell?_

"Ke-kun?" Sachiko's voice was timid, unsure as she took a hesitant step towards the man. "Ke-kun…is that…it can't be, but…is that _you_?"

"Ahahahahahaha!" Laughing heartily, the man ran a thumb over the edge of the blade to test its sharpness, grinning when a thin line of blood slowly dripped over the edges. "Ah, my dearest little Dove, one out of three isn't bad! I know that Ke was the part of my personality you truly loved, but you will soon come to love the other two sides of me as well! Wouldn't you agree, Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human?"

The man bared his teeth wickedly at Kargo, and the Namek boy felt his body go numb with horror, his mind barely able to comprehend what was happening as he finally found a name for this man.

_Tsu…no way, it can't be Tsu…he's dead! He's—ACK!_

Kargo gasped as he suddenly found himself pinned to the side of a gigantic oak tree, his wrists, stomach, and ankles shackled tightly to the enormous trunk by several rings of thick blue ki. Roaring in anger, the Namek quickly looked up, catching a glimpse of Sachiko's horrified face as the man's hand slowly lost its current blue glow. "HEY!" he yelled, glaring furiously at the smirking man in front of him. "What the hell did you do to me, you jerk? LET ME OUT OF THESE THINGS!"

"Not yet, little boy. I have some things to discuss with my darling child…"

"Let Kargo go!" Sachiko yelled, powering up as she sped towards her friend. However, as quickly as her charge started, it just as quickly ended—the young girl shrieked and dodged to the side as the man swung his ki blade at her, the tip missing her head by mere inches. "Are you trying to kill us?" Sachiko cried, clutching at her chest as she rolled to a stop several feet away from the man. "What's wrong with you? We haven't done anything to you, you—you meanie!"

"Now, now, my little darling." The man waggled a finger in front of her face, much like how a parent would to his child. "No harm will come to your Namekian sweetheart as long as he stays right where he is, so let's just keep the festivities between us, shall we?"

"Just let him go!" Sachiko yelled, stomping her foot childishly into the ground. Darn it, she had half a mind to run up to the man and give him a good kick in the shins, just to spite him…but just then, a quick gust of wind suddenly blew throughout the forest, pushing the man's long bangs back and revealing his eyes for the very first time to the young girl. She only saw them for a second, but a second was all she needed.

_Oh—oh sweet mother of Amaterasu!_

A stab of realization pierced straight though Sachiko's heart, followed by a sinking feeling of dread and horror. Her anger completely dissolving, the young girl backed away in fear, her hands flying to her mouth as she tried her best to choke down the scream that tried to tear its way past her throat.

_They're—they're exactly like mine! His eyes are—his eyes are EXACTLY like mine!_

* * *

"Jiro my boy, you stink. And I mean that in more ways than one."

Despite the fact that Yuji Kutai was his father and had the power to disown him right then and there (which he _wouldn't, _seeing as his son was part of the reason why he hadn't lost the company in the first place), Jiro merely let out an open-mouthed yawn and casually flipped him off as they crossed paths. Fortunately it was late in the afternoon, and because President Kutai was a bit more preoccupied with holding his nose and not breathing while he was near his son, the older man completely missed Jiro's inappropriate gesture as he passed by.

_Idiot_, Jiro thought to himself as he rounded the corner. _He doesn't exactly smell like a fucking bouquet of roses either. Who the hell is he to judge? Besides, I was training, and when I train, I sweat…_

He then stopped, thinking for a moment, before he bent his head and quickly sniffed under his armpits. A second passed before he gagged and swore foully, immediately regretting his action. The smell that reached his nostrils was so foul, so putrid, that had he not known that it was coming from his own body, he would have wondered if a rotting corpse was lying around somewhere.

Maybe he shouldn't have trained in the Gravity Room for seven hours straight.

On the other hand, the promising goal of surpassing Kargo (and, to a smaller degree, Sachiko) in strength was completely worth smelling like a dead animal. All he needed to do now was take a week's worth of showers, challenge the freak for the right to use the goddamn dragon balls…and find the time to talk to Sachiko during the festival, before she announced her marriage.

_Her marriage. _

Jiro scowled as he pulled his shirt over his head, carelessly shoving the dirty, sweaty piece of clothing to a blushing maid in the hallway. _What the hell is she thinking, _he thought angrily, gritting his teeth as he tried his best not to punch a nearby wall. _Who the hell does she think she is, getting married so damn soon? Who the fuck does she even want to marry anyway? And why won't she tell me who it is?_

"Hey, little brother."

Jiro stopped, just as he was about to reach for the door to his private bathroom. He turned around, frowning when his gaze fell upon a young woman with light blue hair, a woman who was only slightly older than him, small in height yet well endowed in the most attractive places. Dressed in white slacks and a light pink blouse, Jiro might have—_might _have—considered the woman to be pretty had she not been his own sister.

"What do you want, sis?" Jiro asked flatly, his eye slowly starting to twitch as Hideaki gagged slightly and stepped approximately three feet away from him._ One more step and I swear…goddamn it, I don't stink THAT bad!_ "In case you've received brain damage and forgotten where the rooms are in this household, this is _my _bathroom, not yours."

"And I'm well aware of that, Jiro-kun," Hideaki replied dryly, although the smile on her face could hardly be described as anything other than tight. "I need to talk to you."

"What about? Can it wait until after my shower?"

"I'll be quick," she said, wrinkling her nose as Jiro moved towards her. The young woman crossed her arms, and said in the most serious voice she could muster, "I know that Sachiko-chan was here earlier."

Jiro visibly tensed, but he forced himself to calm down. "So what?" he replied coolly. "She's my best friend. I'll see her whenever I fucking want, talk with her whenever I fucking want, and spar with her whenever I fucking want. She's _my _friend, goddamn it."

"You seem mad…"

"I'm not."

"I think you are."

"I think you should shut your damn mouth."

"And I think you should get over the fact that you want to sabotage her birthday plans for the night," Hideaki retorted, crossing her arms and glaring daggers at her brother. Jiro froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, before he coughed and tried to play innocent.

"Really sis, I think your new boy-toy's drama novels are messing with your mind. Sabotage? I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Don't act dumb!" Hideaki growled. "You can't last two seconds without finding some way to cut into her life. The whole 'engagement' announcement she's getting ready for, and the dragon balls she and Kargo are collecting…I know both of those things have been bothering you. I really thought you'd lose your temper at her again when she came by today."

"What are you implying?" Jiro snapped, stomping into the bathroom and turning on the shower faucets. "I wouldn't do that. You make it sound like I have some sick obsession for her or something. For the love of the gods, I don't even like her! I can have anyone and anything I want!"

The older Kutai sibling sighed, and shook her head. "I know you don't_ like_ her, Jiro-kun. And that's why I worry."

Silence.

"I know that you're—that you're dependant on her."

Silence.

"But you gotta remember, Jiro…thanks to Goku, she thinks of us as her cousins. As her family. She's been thinking this way for the last six years."

"We're not _that _related," Jiro mumbled, his voice small and oddly distant. "I checked the family tree. We're so far apart in the bloodlines that we could practically be strangers."

"Jiro-kun," Hideaki said firmly, growing more frustrated by the minute, "you have to get this through your head. She's going to announce her engagement tonight, and there's a good chance that whomever she's going to marry—"

"She's not getting married!"

"—it isn't going to be you."

"…"

"…"

"Jiro…"

"You don't know anything!" Jiro yelled, his face a horrid shade of red as he turned back to his sister in annoyance. "So what if she's getting married? I don't fucking care! She could go off and die in some cold ditch, and I wouldn't bat an eyelid!"

An exasperated look crossed Hideaki's face, and it wasn't only because of Jiro's smell. "Jiro! For the love of the gods, that isn't what I meant!"

"I don't give a crap about her, Hideaki, okay? There, I said it! I said what you wanted to hear! I don't give a flying shit about Sachiko, I don't care if she lives or dies!"

"Jiro, come on!"

The Capsule Corps heir kicked off his shoes so violently that one of his boots smashed straight through the window, scattering glass shards all over the bathroom floor as Hideaki looked on in horror. "Can I go shower now?" Jiro spat coldly. "Am I free to go to my room and rid the stench from my body, sis? Will you just get OUT?"

For a long moment, there was absolute silence. Neither of them said a word, and nothing could be heard besides Hideaki's quiet breathing, Jiro's erratic one, and the terrified shouts of the gardener who had been unlucky enough to be standing under the window that Jiro broke. A small gray squirrel was slowly climbing in through the broken window, but neither Jiro nor Hideaki took notice of it.

Finally, the older Kutai sibling spoke.

"Fine." Spinning on her heel, Hideaki turned and left the bathroom, leaving her younger brother to stew in his own furious, anger-ridden thoughts.

_How dare she? How dare she tell me that—I don't need that little bitch—how dare she tell me that I'm DEPENDANT on anyone?_

…

Shower. he waited any longer, the smell was seriously going to ferment.

Shoving aside his sister's nagging voice, Jiro shook his head and unzipped his jeans, stepping out of his boxers as he tossed his smelly clothes over to the corner of the white-tiled bathroom. "Just shut up, all of you," he muttered, stepping under the steaming spray of water. He shut his eyes tightly, a small sigh of relief escaping his lips when he felt the hot water meet his cold skin.

_Yeah. THAT'S the stuff._

Muscles slowly relaxed as warmth seeped into his body. Jiro stood under the water for a spell, not thinking about anything, letting himself become completely calm and collected.

_Fuck this. I don't need them. I don't even like going to the stupid feudal villages anyway._

…

He sighed, still not opening his eyes. Maybe he would go and give Sachiko her present. A five-foot-tall teddy bear that had sapphires for eyes and a giant ruby for a nose. A small smirk pushed its way past his lips as he shooed away the particularly vicious little gray squirrel out of his bathroom window. Yes, he convinced himself—he spent good money on that damn present, so he might as well make sure she enjoyed it, right?

_I'll only stay for a few minutes. Maybe eat a few bits of food…and keep that freak from taking up too much of Sachiko's time. Yeah._

Jiro's eyes suddenly shot open.

That energy he felt just now…it was Sachiko's.

But why was it so high?

* * *

Bursting into her Super Saiyajin form, Sachiko barely saw the spinning kick coming in time to leap aside, craning her body backwards as she watched the man's boot slice only millimeters away from her nose. If she had been a fraction of a second slower, her head would have been taken clear off her shoulders…

Falling on her back, Sachiko quickly rolled to her feet and attacked, driving her fist towards her opponent's ribs while the man was still coming out of the kick. Unfortunately, he recovered almost instantly and spun away from her with a taunting laugh.

"Wake up, child, before I salt this weapon of mine and shove it down your throat!"

_Darn him! _

"Why are you doing this, Ke?" Sachiko cried, her skin slippery and clammy from sweat as she backed away uncertainly. "How are you even alive? You're not as I remember you, and you somehow have eyes like mine…you're not my Ke-kun, are you?"

"And you're definitely not that asshole Tsu!" Kargo agreed, tugging vainly at his restraints as he strained his body against the tree. "Who the fuck are you, and what do you want?"

The man sighed, and shook his head. "Is it really that hard to figure out?" he asked quietly, his golden eyes boring deeply into Sachiko's. "You already have a piece of the puzzle, and the Child-who-is-from-Namek-but-who-strangely-acts-human has figured out another part. Although—" the man rubbed his chin ponderously "—I _do _feel bad for dear Rei. She's always being overlooked, and yet she's the first part of my true name…"

"Huh?" Sachiko tilted her head to the side, confused as to what the man was trying to say. Kargo, on the other hand, was a bit more perceptive.

"W-wait a minute," the Namek boy said slowly. "What do you mean by…a _part _of your name?"

"Well, think of it this way!" the man stated happily. "Take the name 'Rei'. Then, take the name that Sachiko believes I possess. Then, take the name that _you _think I'm owner of. Put them together, stir them up, spit them out, and what would you get?"

"Why would you stir up and spit out names?" Sachiko asked curiously. "That's just silly!"

"…"

"…"

The man chuckled lightheartedly, and patted Sachiko on the head (a gesture she immediately shrank back from). "So adorable…"

"So let me get this straight, you creep," Kargo went on, a muscle going off in his jaw as he watched Sachiko moved away from the man's touches. "If I add 'Rei' with the names 'Ke' and 'Tsu'…wouldn't that give me the name _Reiketsu_?"

"…"

"…"

The man pressed a finger to his lips, and winked good-naturedly at the Namek boy. "My dear child…_that_, unfortunately for you…is something you'll have to find out for yourself. Teehee!"

"YOU JERK! SACHI-CHAN, RIP HIS SPINE OUT!"

"Wha…?" The man (whom Kargo now decided to simply call Reiketsu from this point on) yelped as he suddenly ducked and rolled away, Sachiko's ki-focused fists narrowly missing his head as she swung haphazardly through the air. "Hey now!" Reiketsu cried, holding up his ki blade as he blocked Sachiko's wild slashes at his chest. "You can't just blindly attack someone like that, Dove! You can't just flail about aimlessly and hope that Luck will save you! It will eventually abandon you, and then your enemy will tear you apart!"

"I don't care!" Sachiko shrieked, continuing her whirlwind of attacks. "Tsu-san, or Ke-kun, or whoever you are! Goku-san beat you all those years ago! Why are you back? _How _are you back? What do you _want_ from me? OH!"

There was a flurry of movement as Reiketsu lunged, coming in hard with his blade. Sachiko caught his attack with her glowing hands, feeling the hot energy of his blade scrape between her palms as Reiketsu kept coming, intent and lethal. Going on training and sheer instinct, the young girl twisted to the side and thrust his weapon out of the way, trying to catch him off-guard with a blast to the gut—and suddenly Reiketsu's blade was there, just where it had been last, coming up under her guard in a drive towards her heart. Bringing her hands up, Sachiko desperately deflected the attack the few crucial centimeters needed to save her life...

…only to feel a jarring impact in her side.

"SACHIKO!" Kargo's scream, followed by a suddenly rush of jolting pain, confirmed that she had been hit. The white glow faded dismally from her hands as the young girl stumbled back, clutching at her side.

Oh no.

She could feel the blood seeping past her fingers, staining into her clothes. It was a deep cut, and she knew wouldn't be able to fight for very long without significant blood loss.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…

"Do you give up, darling?" Reiketsu asked, his polite tone contrasting with the bloodthirsty look that was shining in his eyes. Sachiko wanted to answer, but she couldn't. Her head suddenly felt woozy.

_Cough, cough!_

Her chest constricted, and she keeled over as she fell to the ground, coughing and gagging as bright red blood spilled past her pale lips.

_Cough, cough, cough!_

She couldn't breathe—she couldn't move—what was happening to her—

"WHAT THE FUCK? SACHIKO!"

Kargo, becoming livid at the sight of his friend's blood, screamed as he powered up to the highest of his abilities, finally ripping out of his shackles as he shoved past Reiketsu and kneeled over the weakening Sachiko.

"Sachi? Sachi, come on…" The Namek boy pulled the girl into his arms, franctically wiping the disfiguring red from her lips while completely ignoring the fact that he himself was bleeding heavily around his own wrists and ankles. "Don't do this to me! Heal! Please heal yourself!"

"She can't," Reiketsu said, his voice suddenly subdued and quiet. The man bent down, and brushed a strand of hair away from Sachiko's bloody face. "The healing technique I taught her isn't useful against poisoning."

"P-poison?" Kargo stared at the older man in sheer shock and disbelief, before he suddenly remembered something Sachiko had said earlier.

* * *

"_Goku-san's dragonball has to be here somewhere, Kargo-kun! Let's dig around until—OW!" The young girl yelped and grasped at the back of her neck. "Kargo-kun! Something bit me! I think it's a bug! I have it in my hand!"_

"_What?" The Namek immediately rushed over to Sachiko and pulled the girl's hand away. His dark eyes widened when he saw a small, peculiar looking dart sticking out of her neck, and he immediately pulled it out, tossing it to the side and forcing Sachiko to stare him in the eye. "Sachi-chan! Are you okay? Do you feel strange at all?"_

"_Strange? No…" The young girl shook her head. "What kind of bug was that, Kargo? It felt awfully strange for a bug. Oh no!" Sachiko then gave him a look of panic. "Was it poisonous, Kargo-kun? Am I gonna die? WAH! I don't wanna die!"_

"_You're not gonna die," Kargo said soothingly. _

_

* * *

_

_You're not gonna die…_

"No…" Horror gripping his entire form, Kargo tightened his arms around Sachiko, who was no longer coughing up blood…but who wasn't breathing anymore either. "NO! Sachiko, don't die!" The Namek boy clung to her in desperation, trying to keep the young girl from closing her eyes as her movements slowed more and more. "Don't leave me! I'll save you…I'LL SAVE YOU, I PROMISE! PLEASE, _DON'T DIE_!"

"K-Kargo…kun…"

Gasping though her bloodstained teeth, Sachiko tried to hang on, tried to mentally encourage her heart to keep pumping and her lungs to keep breathing, tried to fight off the darkness that threatened to overtake her. But the poison quickly worked its way to her nerves, and her heart was painfully forced against its will to stop.

"K…Kargo…"

Her senses numbed, and she felt her body jerk wildly in Kargo's arms.

"NO! _SACHIKO, PLEASE! __**PLEASE DON'T**__—_"

Without warning, her body stilled. Sachiko's form twisted just once, her back arching, her mouth agape and open like a fish struggling to breathe out of water.

"Sachiko? Freak? Hey…who the fuck are you?" Jiro's voice floated out of nowhere, and his voice, along with Kargo's desperate pleas for her to live, were the only things she could hear—

And then, just like that, her body went limp, her muscles loosened and relaxed, and she moved no more.

**

* * *

**

**Taka: (stares at the end of chapter) …WHAT THE FUCK? I WAITED FOREVER FOR THIS CHAPTER, AND MY LITTLE SACHIKO GOES AND **_**DIES **_**ON US? AND YOU! (glares at Reiketsu) THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!**

**Reiketsu: …**

**Piccolo: How dare you kill off Sachiko! I thought you loved her, you sick psychopath! What the hell were the events of **_**Rebirth of the Dragon **_**for if you were just going to kill her anyway?**

**Reiketsu: …you know, has it ever occurred to you two that I might have a reason for doing what I did?**

**Taka: Oh, stuff it! I can't talk to you right now…I'm filing for divorce!**

**Reiketsu: We're not even married!**

**Taka: Oh. Right. Well then, I'll just have Piccolo-sama here beat you up!  
**

**Piccolo: Yeah, I—wait, what?**

**Taka: Go on, Piccolo-sama! Make me proud!**

**Reiketsu: (snorts) Oh, PLEASE. Piccolo here couldn't even beat me when I was still "Tsu." What on earth makes you think he can beat me now at I'm at full power?**

**Piccolo: Shut your mouth! I actually still do have a score to settle with you for hijacking my brain during _Rebirth of the Dragon_, so beating you up might actually be pretty GOOD for my stressed-out mind!**

**Reiketsu: (sighs) Ah, eager for a licking, are we? Fine, you old pickle. We'll fight…but we'll do that in the next chapter! **

**Taka: UGH! I hate you!**

**Reiketsu: (winks) No you don't! :D**

**Taka: …no, I don't. (looks crushed and defeated)**

**Piccolo: (shocked) TAKA!**


End file.
